Fright Nights scares up more screams with expanded schedule

Prepared to be scared when Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach returns in October. (Fright Nights / Courtesy)

If the thought of eliciting bloodcurdling screams from a group of nervous teens cautiously meandering through a haunted house piques your interest, there’s a spooky gang that wants to meet you.

Holding steady as the largest haunted attraction in West Palm Beach for 18 years now, Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds will have its annual casting call at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way. Organizers say they’re looking for “energetic” (disclaimer: those channeling the undead may take a different approach) male and female performers age 16 or older with all levels of experience. Paid and volunteer positions are available. For children under 16 who are compelled to creep, they may audition but an equally eerie parent has to volunteer to work along with them. Horrifying hopefuls must bring two forms of ID, however.

Painting on sinister clown makeup or sporting sore-covered masks not your thing? Don’t worry your mortal soul, instead pay a visit to Fright Nights when it opens Friday, Oct. 11 or throughout its expanded lineup of dates this year that include Oct. 12, 17-19, 24-26, 31 and Nov. 1 and 2.

While organizers’ lips are seemingly sewn shut on the themes of the four haunts so far, the walls started to go up earlier this month, according to an Instagram post. One of them features some graffiti with an ominous warning: “We live to kill."

Past haunts have taken a grim twist on fairy tales, ripped the jolly right out of the holiday season and brought creepy dolls to another level.

Scare zones, food and beverages, live entertainment, virtual reality, video games and midway carnival rides will all return, organizers said. Midway hours are from 6 to 11 p.m. (midnight on Friday and Saturday). The haunted houses will open at 7 p.m.

For those who crave a deeper dive into the terrifying technicalities of putting on such a macabre attraction, four behind-the-scenes tours are planned every hour starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10. Brave souls can get up close with the characters, ask questions and take pictures. Tour goers also a ticket for free admission and one haunted house to be used on Preview Night, Friday, Oct. 11.

Online ticket sales are Sunday, Sept. 1 through Thursday, Oct. 10 for a discounted rate of $25. Regular admission is $30 and includes 30 tickets, which may be used for the haunted houses (eight tickets per haunt) and/or midway rides (two to five tickets each).

For an additional $5 per haunt ticket, you can become an RIP (Really Important Person) that will get you a fast pass to the front of the line (which can become long on peak nights). RIP tickets are limited and may be purchased on the midway each night.